Barrington

Programs for senior citizens: The Barrington Senior Center, 281 County Rd., offers a variety of programs for senior citizens.

A special event will be a DTV program, Friday at 1 p.m. Jay Howell, president of WPRI Fox Providence, and Lori Needham, executive director of R.I. Broadcast, will explain the upcoming changes to all television stations in the United States when everything is switched to 100 percent digital broadcast as of Feb. 17.

Other activities include a Parkinson’s support group, Thursday at 10:30 a.m. The group meets the first Thursday of every month. Other health related offerings include Joint by Joint, Oct. 8 from 10 to 11 a.m., when Ed Hickey from Milestone rehab will explain joints, bones and muscles with time for questions and answers to follow; a flu clinic will be held Oct. 17 from 1 to 3 p.m.; chair massage Oct. 24 from 1 to 2 p.m.; a Blue Cross Blue Chip program to explain upcoming changes, Oct. 30 at 10 a.m.; and a United Healthcare program, also to explain upcoming changes, Oct. 31 at 10 a.m.

There are also beginner computer classes Oct. 30 at 10 a.m.; Flowers for Everyone, Oct. 10 at 10 a.m. or 1 p.m., with a $7 fee for instruction and supplies; Harvest Night, Oct. 20 from 7:30 to 9 p.m., with the Strictly Sentimental Swing Band; and a Halloween party, Oct. 29 from 1 to 3 p.m.

For information on these and other activities for seniors, call 247-1926.

CPR and First Aid certification course: The Bayside Family YMCA is now offering CPR, Oxygen Administration and First Aid. These courses are opened to the public as well as YMCA members.

CPR with AED for adults and children will be offered Oct. 8 from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. This is a four-hour course and provides a basic certification through the American Safety and Health Institute. The fee for CPR is $30 for members and $40 for nonmembers.

CPR Pro for Health Care Professionals will be offered Oct. 22 and 23 from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Participants must attend both nights. The fee is $35 for YMCA members and $45 for non-YMCA members.

First Aid will be offered Oct. 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The fee $30 for YMCA members, $40 for nonmembers.

Oxygen Administration will be offered Oct. 16 from 5 to 7 p.m. The fee is $30 for members, $40 for nonmembers.

Advance registration is required for these courses 24 hours before the class date. There must be a minimum of three registered participants for the class to run. Refunds will not be given unless the YMCA cancels the class. For information or to register call 245-2444.

Volunteer needed: The Barrington Town Council is looking for one volunteer to serve on the Appropriations Committee. Resumé forms can be obtained through the Web site at www.barrington.ri.gov, the town clerk’s office at Town Hall or at the library. The final day to submit a resumé form to the town clerk’s office is tomorrow.

Bristol

Seniors meet: Harbor Lights, a senior citizens activity organization, will meet today at 1 p.m. in the auditorium at St. Mary Church, Wood Street. It is not necessary to be a member of St. Mary Church to participate. The afternoon will include guest speaker Walter Burke from the town’s Parks & Recreation Department followed by a short meeting then refreshments and bingo. All senior citizens are welcome.

Annual card party: The Rosary/Altar Society of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church will hold its annual card party tomorrow at 7 p.m. in the church’s parish center, State Street. Those planning to attend are asked to bring their playing cards/games and enjoy the evening with good food and friends. Tickets will be $6 each at the door.

Living Traditions concert: Roger Williams University in partnership with Common Fence Music will host an entertaining, educational evening of traditional Irish music Friday at 8 p.m. at the Common Fence Point Community Hall, Anthony Road, Portsmouth.

The event is being held as part of a symposium devoted to examining how the Internet and other evolving forms of new media influence music, culture and language. In addition to a barrage of talented Irish musicians and storytellers, the concert will feature Mick Moloney, award-winning Irish singer and multi-instrumentalist, Robbie O’Connell, prolific songwriter and noted guitarist and Gearóid ÓhAllmhuráin, fourth-generation musician and holder of five World Championship Irish music titles.

This historic event will be the first time all three headlining artists will perform on the same stage in one evening. In an entertaining, educational setting, concertgoers will experience the living tradition of live music from the perspective of modern Irish artists.

Doors open at 7 p.m., and patrons are welcome to bring picnics and socialize before the curtain goes up. Tickets are $20 each and can be purchased by calling Roxanne O’Connell, assistant professor of communication at Roger Williams, 254-3249. Or, order online at www.newmediasymposium.org/concert.html.

Historic Traditions Lectures: The Bristol Statehouse Foundation will kick off its Historic Traditions Lectures Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Statehouse, 240 High St. at the Commons. The speaker will be Eve LaPlante, a direct descendent of Ann Hutchinson, who will speak on her book about Ann Hutchinson of Portsmouth and the upper East Bay’s 17th century mother and midwife who stood up to the Massachusetts Puritans and made Portsmouth “The Cradle of Religious Liberty.” Admission is free and all are welcome.

East Providence

Parade: The 4th annual Townie Pride Parade will be held before the East Providence High School football game Friday at Pierce Stadium. All city public schools are involved. Students and parents should contact their school offices for additional information. Participants are asked to assemble at Pierce Stadium via the baseball field gates at 5:45 p.m. Each school will line up as a group and prepare for the procession of schools on to the football field. Students, parents and staff are urged to wear school colors and to show their individual school pride with signs, posters and clothing.

The parade will start promptly at 6:30 p.m., with the game beginning at 7. Elementary children must be accompanied by an adult if marching. The parade will be led by the East Providence High School Marching Band, flag corps and cheerleaders. All families and children are then invited to stay and watch the Townie football game. Admission to the game is free with the donation of a canned good or book.

For more information, e-mail Bob Rodericks at rrodericks@epschoolsri.com or call 433-6210.

Pumpkin Fair: The Church of the Epiphany, 1336 Pawtucket Ave., will hold a pumpkin sale and craft fair/yard sale Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 25 crafters selling primitive items, candles, soaps, jewelry, crocheted items and sea glass creations, as well yard sale tables will be featured.

The kitchen will also be open for a Chowder House. Food will be available for dine in or take out. The kitchen offers three kinds of chowder, clam cakes, stuffies, and special meals for children who aren’t fond of seafood. All of the food is homemade, including the desserts.

The event will be held rain or shine. For more information, visit www.epiphanyep.org or call the church, 434-5012.

Little Compton

Program on orchids: The Sogknonate Garden Club will host a program on orchids, “The Great Orchid Challenge: Propagating, Repotting and More,” tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. at the Little Compton Community Center, the Commons. Orchid grower, Bill Wisneski from Westport, Mass., will show the audience how to care for orchids and demonstrate how to repot them. Anyone who has an orchid that needs repotting is welcome to bring it along for a hands-on experience. The program is free to all.

Middletown

Harvest Fair: The Norman Bird Sanctuary, 583 Third Beach Rd., will hold its 34th annual Harvest Fair Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is an old-fashioned autumn fair with crafters, food, games, animals, hay rides, a mud pit and a monkey bridge as well as a home and garden competition.

Volunteers are needed and asked to call Leslie Muir, 846-2577, ext. 17, or e-mail her at lmuir@normanbirdsanctuary.org and signup to help out. All volunteers will be treated to volunteer appreciation party Oct. 25 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the sanctuary.

The home and garden competition will be open to amateur gardeners, growers, canners, cooks, and bakers of all ages. Each entry must be grown or cooked from scratch, solely by the contestant. One entry will be accepted per category per person. Entries must be registered at the Home & Garden Booth by 10 a.m. on the day of the judging, and must be removed between 5 and 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. All entries should be labeled discreetly with the contestant’s name, address, phone number and competition category. Young grower or baker contestants must be 14 years old or younger. After judging, all food entries will be sold at the Country Store. Proceeds benefit the sanctuary.

Tickets on fair days will be $6 for adults, $3 for children ages 3 to 12 and free for those under age 3.

Newport

Neighborhood Association to meet: The Off Broadway Neighborhood Association will meet tonight at 7 at Mount Zion Church, Van Zandt at Tilley Avenue. Neighbors interested in signing on with Nite Oil Company for a one year special offering are encouraged to attend. The meeting will go over the discounts and have on hand extra Nite Oil’s Service Agreements for getting people signed up.

Anyone who lives in the parameters of Malbone to Tilley/Pond Street and Broadway to Van Zandt are welcome to the meetings which only lasts an hour. For information contact Ellen Nichols, theel@cox.net.

Garden club to meet: The Seaside Garden Club of Newport will meet tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at the Vasco da Gama Hall, Fenner Avenue. Following the meeting, there will be a program at 7 p.m. presented by Todd McLeish. He will speak on his book, Golden Wings and Hairy Toes: Encounters with New England’s Most Imperiled Wildlife. A slide presentation will provide views of the rarest and most endangered species in the area. Books will be on sale for attendees.

Designer to speak: The Preservation Society of Newport County invites the public to meet designer and scholar Thomas Jayne, as he shares his philosophy about decorating and offers ideas for decorating the home, Thursday at 11 a.m. at Rosecliff, 548 Bellevue Ave. Admission is free, but space is limited and advance registration is requested, by calling 847-3383.

Jayne creates interiors that reflect his passion and wide-ranging knowledge of classical traditions. His work seeks to further those traditions and highlight what is relevant to interior design today. His rooms take inspiration from the past, yet feel fresh and modern. He has decorated homes from Maine to San Francisco, and most recently has created two new lines of furniture for the Newport Mansions Collections, designs inspired by the historic properties of The Preservation Society of Newport County.

Alzheimer’s support group: Child & Family Services, in association with Newport Hospital, will host an Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiver support group Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m. at Newport Hospital, 11 Friendship St. The meeting will include a presentation titled “Keeping an Active Mind,” by Marge Angilly of the R.I. Alzheimer’s Association.

For information on the support group, contact Kerry Murphy, Child & Family nurse case manager, 848-4119. The group will meet the fourth Thursday of every month following Thursday’s meeting.

Portsmouth

Hospice volunteer training: A six-week Hospice Volunteer Training program will be offered by Visiting Nurse Services of Newport & Bristol Counties at its Portsmouth office, 1184 East Main Rd. Classes will be held from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm on Thursdays, beginning on October 9 and running through November 13. Deadline for registration is Thursday.

Hospice at Visiting Nurse Services of Newport & Bristol Counties offers comprehensive end-of-life care to people with terminal illnesses who live in the East Bay, on Aquidneck Island, and in Jamestown, Tiverton and Little Compton. Hospice volunteers provide companionship, comfort, and respite for caregivers and will do errands or prepare meals. Hospice volunteers also help with special events, fundraising programs, and in the office.

Registration and interviews are required to participate in the program. No health care experience is necessary. For more information or to schedule an interview, please call Jane Bresko, Hospice Volunteer Coordinator, 682-2100, ext. 616.

Tiverton

Benefit ball for music program: The 2008 Arts Fall Ball to benefit the music program at Tiverton Middle School will be held Friday from 7 p.m. to midnight at Astors’ Beechwood Mansion, 580 Bellevue Ave., Newport. The event will include an open bar with beer, wine and champagne and a martini bar by Grey Goose. The menu, by Russell Morin, will offer filet mignon or vegetarian fare. The Ezra Band, a 10-piece dance band, will provide music. Memory photos by Susan Choquette will also be available at $25 for two 5- by-7 photos or one 8- by-10 photo.

The event is black-tie optional. Tickets are $150 each or $1,500 for a table of 10. For information, call J. R. Bullis, 297-9115 or e-mail her at jrbullis@verizon.net. Checks should be made payable to “TMS” (Tiverton Middle School) and mailed to the school, 10 Quintal Drive, Tiverton 02878. All proceeds will be used to finance the school’s music program, which during the last several years has been affected by reductions in public funding.

Warren

Mentor program kickoff: Mosaico Community Development Corporation, in cooperation with the Bristol Warren School District and the Bristol and Warren Substance Abuse Task Force will kick off their 2008-09 Mentor Program today from 2 to 3 p.m. in the cafeteria at Kickemuit Middle School, Child Street. Mentors are caring, responsible adults willing to commit one hour per week for the school year to a KMS student. All sessions will be held after school on school grounds. Current mentors, students and their families are invited to attend. Also in attendance will be state Sen. Charles J. Levesque, sponsor of a legislative grant recently awarded to the Mentor Program. To learn more about how to become a mentor, contact Ed Carusi at Mosaico CDC, 240 High St., Bristol, 253-4627 or ecarusi@mosaico.necoxmail.com.